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History & Heritage

From those first, brave settlers stepping off the Ark & Dove to the men and women in the control room of the Hubble Space Telescope who first peered so deep into the heavens, Maryland has always been a place where history is made.

General George Washington gave up his command of the Continental Army in Annapolis, cementing our fledgling democracy. Francis Scott Key penned The Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem, in Baltimore. Maryland was the starting point of The National Road and America’s first great railroad. Maryland was the home of great leaders like Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman who lead the drive for equality. On Maryland soil, the crossroads of the Civil War, the North and South clashed in some of their most important battles. Come see where it happened; come to Maryland.

15 Must-Visit Places For History Buffs

One of the 13 original colonies, “The Free State” is a hub for history lovers. With living-history colonial towns, National Shrines, the home of The Star-Spangled Banner, and the birthplaces of some of the nation’s most important civil rights leaders, Maryland is home to a wealth of historic sites and museums.

1 Salute the Flag at Fort McHenry, Baltimore

This beautiful brick fortress stands sentry at the mouth of Baltimore Harbor and today, as a National Historic Shrine, it preserves our history. In 1814, its battle-flag inspired Francis Scott Key to pen The Star-Spangled Banner. During the Civil War, the fort served as a union hospital and, later, Fort McHenry was the second biggest point of entry for European immigrants.

2 Walk the halls of history at the Maryland State House, Annapolis

Once the capital of the United States, it was here that the Continental Congress signed the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War. Later, General George Washington stepped down as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Today, you can admire this beautiful old building on its hill in the heart of Annapolis, which remains the home of Maryland Government.

3 Experience Colonial Maryland at Historic St. Mary’s City, St. Mary’s County

Founded in 1634, today living historians keep the streets, fields and ships of Maryland’s first capital alive. Tour the working 1600s plantation, experience the reconstructed state house, and walk the decks of the Dove, a reconstructed sailing ship that brought the first colonists to Maryland.

4 Ride the rails at the B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore

Step beyond the Monopoly board and feel the power of old steam engines at the birthplace of American rail. Often called the most important railroad museum in the world, tour its beautiful roundhouse and ride genuine historic trains.

6 Meet a great African-American thinker at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, Baltimore County

This park and museum honor Benjamin Banneker–scientist, astronomer, mathematician, abolitionist, surveyor, farmer, almanac publisher–on the site of his former farmstead. This 138-acre park is the largest African-American historical site in the country.

7 Witness the birth of courage at the Bucktown Village Store, Dorchester County

It was here that American hero Harriet Tubman made her first act of defiance when she gave aid to another enslaved person. The blow to the head she received from an angry overseer would cause her health problems for the rest of her life, but never dim her courage.

8 See Maryland’s tenuous first foothold at St. Clement’s Island State Park, Colton’s Point

It was here on this island in the Potomac River that Maryland’s first colonists landed on March 24, 1643. The state park now preserves this place where those brave people fleeing religious persecution prepared to build their first colony.

9 Visit the home of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, Glen Echo

Part of the Clara Barton National Historic Site, the Clara Barton House was built partly from lumber recovered from emergency buildings built by the Red Cross in the aftermath of the Johnstown Flood. Barton, the famed humanitarian who launched the Red Cross, lived here until she died in 1912.

10 Marvel at American ingenuity at Casselman Bridge, Garrett County

This beautiful, 354-foot long stone bridge spanning the Casselman River was a marvel of engineering when it was completed in 1811. The bridge was part of the historic National Road that opened the west and stands as the country’s first great civil works project.

11 Walk the decks of the USS Constellation, a Civil War sailing ship, Baltimore

With her soaring masts reaching high above the harbor, the USS Constellation is an enduring part of Baltimore’s skyline, but the historic vessel marks the end of an era. Once the flagship of the US Navy’s Africa fleet during the fight against slavery, the Constellation was the last, all-sail warship built by the Navy.

12 Man the frontier at Fort Frederick, Washington County

Built in 1756, on what was then the frontier, the fort served in the French and Indian, Revolutionary and Civil wars. The fort was restored using the original plans and now stands as a look into the days of westward expansion.

13 Get a taste of the Chesapeake at J.C. Lore Oyster House in the Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons

In the heart of Chesapeake oyster country, this historic structure was literally built on old oyster shells. Now part of the Calvert Marine Museum and considered one of the most important remnants of America’s historical oyster industry, J.S. Lore stands as a testament to the watermen of the Chesapeake. One of the house’s original Bugeye Schooner boats is preserved at the museum.

14 Celebrate the Sage of Baltimore at the H.L. Mencken House, Baltimore

Visit the home of one of America’s greatest journalists, H.L. Mencken. Now a museum, it provides a unique window into American history. Mencken’s The American Language is still considered the definitive work on American English and his coverage of the Scopes Trial changed the nation.

15 Visit the home of an American icon at the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center, Highland Beach

A strident speaker, brilliant thinker and unwavering crusader for freedom, few people have shaped the American Landscape like Frederick Douglass. His book, Frederick Douglass: Narrative of an American Slave remains one of the great works of American literature and a foundation for the philosophy of freedom and equality. This museum, built in Douglass’s former summer home, preserves his legacy and life.